Top 5 Digital Marketing Trends of 2016

The year 2016 is coming to an end and digital marketers are already assessing how current trends can propel their businesses into success to the next year. Some of the trends mentioned above are similar to the year before but they have had a significant upgrade this year. The rest are new and are making new waves in digital marketing as we speak. Let’s see what they are –

1 – Content is Still King but of a Different Kind

Yes, content is still on its throne but it’s not limited to text anymore. Content now encompasses everything from videos to infographics. 2016 is considered the year of the mobile app so this fact doesn’t really come as a surprise. The attention span of the average mobile user has dwindled to that of a goldfish and the best way for marketers to cater to short attention spans is through engaging content. And it works. Statistics show that content marketing drives higher conversion rates with email marketing being one of the most effective means.

2 – Artificial Intelligence

Till now, artificial intelligence in digital marketing was limited to machine learning. Example include predictive customer service and content curation. Fast forward to 2016 and brands are now developing bots designed to “learn” and apply what they learn in servicing consumers. Think Facebook’s new Messenger bot that was created by a bot engine designed to turn natural language into structured data and helps marketers get closer to users right inside chat boxes.

3 – Social Media Marketing

Social media is bigger in marketing this year than it has ever before thanks to new innovations which include everything from live video streams to broader app functionalities.  Channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn still lead the pack but marketers are including others in their marketing strategies as well – think Snapchat and Instagram. This and the fact that users now prefer relevant in-the-moment content as opposed to old regurgitated content makes a perfect case for the rise of social media in marketing circles this year.

4 – Personalization

With social media and AI being popular trends in 2016, it is natural to assume that personalization would follow suit. Statistics show that consumers prefer marketers to personalize their shopping experiences. Customization also gives marketers more flexibility in focusing on consumer needs. They no longer have to stick to rigid old school techniques and instead focus on creating marketing strategies around current or trending demands.

5 – Mobile Optimization

We started this discussion by stating that mobile usage is still a big pull for marketers this year. Studies show that the number of smartphone users is expected to grow to more than 2 billion this year. And marketers are scrambling to create strategies to turn a huge chunk of this number into loyal customers. This can be achieved by anything from responsive websites to advertising and mobile friendly content that is easily digestible at a glance.

The year 2017 is just around the corner and marketers are primed to take advantage of trending digital techniques to gain an edge on competitors.

Author Bio: Mark Damian is a senior Digital Marketing Manager in a private firm of California, USA. Currently, he is leading a team of marketing individuals and developing new digital advertising and promotional strategies to increase the sales and productivity.